The Celtics continued their impressive run of Western Conference domination last night, defeating the Phoenix Suns 117-97 at the TD Banknorth Garden. Ending a mini-skid, the Celtics were not about to collapse in the second half, as they pulled away on a series of mid-range jump shots by Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett. Garnett had 30 points, one less than his season high. The Big Ticket also buckled down on defense in the second half, limiting Amare Stoudamire as much as possible. New Suns Center Shaquille O'Neal had 16 points, but Snaq was frustrated for much of the game.
Kendrick Perkins had another monster game, dropping 13 points and grabbing 10 rebounds. Ray Allen also had a quiet 14 points, and all 5 Boston starters finished in double figures. Rajon Rondo played well, as he continues to silence critics and members of the league.
The Celtics are now only 4 games away from completing the biggest turnaround in league history in consecutive seasons. One of the worst teams in the league last year, the addition of KG, Ray Allen, as well as bench players like Posey and House have turned the Celtics into the team to beat going into the playoffs. Paul Pierce was more than happy to describe his team's transformation.
"I couldn't have imagined it a year ago," Pierce said, thinking back to the seven-for-one trade that bought Garnett out of Minnesota over the summer. "The whole face of the Celtics turned around when the trade happened with this guy. Everyone talks about MVP, and they talk about numbers, but this guy has changed the whole culture around here."
The Celts still have some tough games coming up, but will try to go into the playoffs on a roll while defining roles for some of the players on the team in terms of playoff rotation.
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